To think raising NMW is a good thing

[Kilot]

The poorest in society will earn more. Companies will have to pay more, benefits will drop.

Inflation in the UK is 3.8% to October 2025 the increase in the NMW is 4.1% for the over 21 rate

Not exactly largesse

The experience of organisations that became 'Living Wage' employers was that it made them more efficient and productive.

Lidl & Aldi are some of the best payers in Retail so clearly high wages and low cost can go together

Hospitality is raking it in? Are you actually joking? With the increases in rent, beer prices (well all food and drink really) , rates, utilities, then the NI increase plus many huge increases in minimum wage they are on tjeir fucking knees!

Who the hell will be bothering to put themselves through Uni/extra exams to earn hardly anything more than potentially an inexperienced, unskilled worker.

Many people pay to train to become qualified in whatever they do, its not luck they are paid above minimum wage.

You're talking huge economies of scale with Lidl etc though. Small businesses who may treat their employees very well are being crippled by all the massive increases in everything.

No one wants to see people earning shit wages but I dont believe this NLW increase is the answer right now!

An increase only just over the rate of inflation

What you are basically suggesting is that the lowest paid should not have a pay rise roughly in line with inflation which may well mean that they end up being subsidised by the taxpayer

The average annual profit of an SME in the UK is £11,000. Aldi Uk made £435m in the year to December 2024. One has volume and scale, one doesn’t.

I dont think its me who has no clue! I am talking about unskilled unqualified workers but I think you know that as I clearly stated it. Skilled workers should be paid for their skills accordingly. I have worked with small businesses for many years and know exactly what I'm talking about so not willing to have this debate.

People need to look at the wider implications.

It's not luck, though, is it. This is the thought process I can't stand. People who earn more have had to work, train, compete, and put in the hours. It's not just 'luck' to get a better paying job.

Like nurses and carers?

I agree with this. I've been with DH since the start. Seen the tremendous hard word he's put in. Came from absolutely nothing. My DC look up to him a lot.

I kind of agree, it is lucky that some people have the brains/talent to do certain jobs. I mean I could work harder than anyone ever has and I still won't be a professional tennis player. My DD has various learning difficulties so will never be able to do certain jobs, in fact only likely to be able to do unskilled minimum wage roles. Thats not due to hard work.

However those who do choose to get those quals should get paid more and 100% deserve to. There shouldn't be a situation where the gap is so close it becomes not worth bothering. Childcare settings are a prime example where this is relevant. The qualified staff L2 or 3 are only able to be paid fractionally above the unqualified assistants, same for the managers above the L3 staff. The government pay such a poor hourly rate for the 'free' childcare hours it is often a massive struggle to keep heads above water, it only takes one term of low numbers to switch from the black to red.

I guarantee you would be the first to complain when a small business you use decides to close its doors. You seem to have a real chip on your shoulder - maybe it's time to grow up.

Nobody yet has said where all the people who work for businesses which apparently don't deserve to exist will find work? Maybe you might enlighten me?

Yes i think grow up is appropriate.
I find it hard to believe that anyone with any experience of life could see things in such a simplistic way.
And they have still yet to enlighten us where the new jobs might come from

Most people aren’t against this at all and many of us who became adults in easier times now have young adult children that we’re worried about. It’s just that raising the minimum wage won’t achieve this at all. The Chancellor will know this but it gives her an easy win.

The cost will be put straight onto the consumer and prices go up - as we saw with the NI increase. People simply will not have more money in their pockets in the long term, or the medium term or medium short term. And price increases disproportionately affect those people that raising the minimum wage is supposed to help. And it’s been pointed out here many many times that increasing employment costs reduces available employment in so many ways.

There’s loads of other ways it doesn’t help. For example, it also doesn’t help with things like housing at the cheaper end of the market because all of a sudden everyone in minimum wage jobs has a bit more money as their base and so landlords, who can already rent out their properties several times over, also put their prices up - as long as demand outstrips supply which is does in most of the UK.

We are in an inflationary cycle and raising the minimum wage doesn’t even go a tiny bit towards helping it end. It needs some transformational economic thinking not fiddling around the edges.

I can know that but also think many many people in low paid jobs work bloody hard, are very valuable and deserve more.

This is my main issue

Think about how many of the big big retail employers for example are still making huge profits (obv gotta please the shareholders) but at the same time think of many of their (not paid what they could be) staff are still having to claim UC etc despite working full time.

I'm.not saying we are ever going to go back to where one full time wage would support a family but I do feel 2x full wage such be able to afford the basic in life without being topped up by the taxpayer cos companies don't want to pay a living wage

I know what you mean. I've also seen the stress, the mental and physical toll, the 5am starts, the work calls on Christmas day, the effort of getting into Oxbridge as a second gen immigrant. The 'must be nice' crowd who didn't put in any of this work but feel entitled to take from these people make me so angry.

There are a lot of companies teetering on the edge of viability. Absolutely people should be paid a fair wage, but some companies will go to the wall.

This is going to hit the catering/leisure trade big time. 8% increase to pay students.
The only way to pay it is to put prices up.

Good for who? The government raises the NMW, but they are not the ones actually paying for it (excluding public sector on NMW of course).
Not everyone is employed by a multinational company that makes £millions and has shareholders.

DM has cleaning company that she has been running for over 25 years. She is on a little more than £30k and she owns and runs her company by herself. She is the only full time employee, as cleaning jobs, unless in a hospital or hotel, are rarely full time. So a most of her employees get UC top ups.
The rate she pays people is also dictated by the contracts she has. If you work in an office, chances are the cleaner who wipes your desk, empties your bin, and hoovers everywhere is on NMW. If my DM is to pay her cleaners more, then it would your boss that needs to pay her company more for the contract. But then, would you be happy to learn the office cleaner is on the same wage as you?

The smaller companies (and probably bigger ones too) will either lay people off, reduce hours, and not take on more workers.

So what would you do to create jobs for those working at companies that are not viable and close?
I have asked a very straight question and you have dodged it.